Demonstrators started to assemble by the Invalides esplanade in the 7th arrondissement of Paris at 11:30 a.m. local time (10:30 GMT).
People were shouting anti-government slogans, waving flags and singing songs.
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Demonstrators marched almost 10 miles through downtown Paris. After the four-hour event ended in the afternoon a group of youths clashed with police outside Les Invalides complex of military museums.
🚧 Gilets Jaunes: tensions en cours aux Invalides à #Paris. Le canon à eau entre en action. #ActeX pic.twitter.com/3Dn035Wf1T
— Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) January 19, 2019
Police were pelted with bottles and garbage and responded with tear gas and water cannon, the Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene. The radicals shouted insults back at them and hurled firecrackers.
#Paris Current tensions. Face to face between BAC and #YellowVests #GiletsJaunes #ActeX pic.twitter.com/wnksn384QR
— nonouzi (@Gerrrty) January 19, 2019
The protesters started to crash shop-windows and cars parked nearby.
As many as 80,000 law enforcement officers have been mobilized across France to keep order during the demonstrations which are also taking place in other French cities, the BFMTV broadcaster reported citing the French Interior Ministry.
The French Interior Ministry said 27,000 took to the streets across the country on Saturday, with 7,000 demonstrating in Paris, according to BFMTV. The broadcaster said at least 20 were detained in the French capital.
READ MORE: Yellow Vests Protests Continue Despite President Macron's Outreach
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron launched a national debate aimed at pacifying the protests, which began in mid-November over fuel tax hikes and have since expanded into a broader demonstration against the government.
The "Yellow Vests" rallies (named after the reflective garment French drivers are required to have in their vehicles) started in mid-November.
While the French government scrapped its planned hike in fuel taxes, which initially sparked the protests, the "yellow vests" have evolved into a broader movement against unwelcome government policies and rising living costs. The rallies have been marked by violent clashes between protesters and police.
